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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a path
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. face — to confront
  21. track — a song
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com